Rojda (Almila Bagriacik) is an Iraqi-Kurd who has lived in Germany since she was a child. We meet her at a refugee camp for displaced Kurds trying to get her mother Ferhat (Maryam Boubani) released into her care. When safely back in Germany their relationship is strained, firstly because Ferhat is concerned that Rojda is rejecting her Kurdish roots and secondly because her other daughter Dilan (Gonca de Haas) is still in Iraq fighting against ISIS. Rojda, a soldier in the German army asks for a transfer to Iraq as a translator in an effort to find her sister. 

The themes of Sisters Apart are cultural identity and family. Rojda has adapted to her German home and is concerned that her mother fits in. Her mother is worried that Rojda is rejecting her heritage whilst Dilan and Rojda are both fighting for this heritage but in different ways. But regardless of these clashes their family bond will never be broken. 

When Rojda arrives in Iraq and joins Staff Sergeant Alex Breidmeier’s (Christoph Letkowski) squad we get to see other relationships developing. There is a slight romantic undercurrent to their relationship but it never surfaces above their professional connection as soldiers. We also see how Rojda has successfully adapted in the male dominated world she works in and the interesting dynamic she starts to develop with the female Kurdish fighters she is sent to train. 

The film is beautifully shot, the locations are stunning and the score is quietly effective. The real heart of the film is a fantastic performance from Almila Bagriacik who carries the film. 

Writer/director Daphne Charizani has assembled a hugely effective drama that takes the incredibly complicated geo-political arena of the Middle East and boils it down to something everyone can relate to, family. It is a wonderful insight into cultural heritage and familial bonds.